Trucking magnate expands local holdings

Published: Monday, December 3, 2012 at 5:07 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, December 3, 2012 at 5:07 p.m.

Developer Larry Roberts has expanded his local holdings.

Roberts, developer of the Golden Ocala Country Club and owner of an Ohio-based interstate trucking company, has acquired the former Castro Convertible plant on Northwest 80th Avenue, according to the local office of Sperry Van Ness, a commercial Realtor.

The firm announced Monday that the 12-acre site contains a 131,342-square-foot building where the famous sofa-beds were once made locally.

Roberts bought the site for $610,000, according to Bartow McDonald, managing director of the Sperry Van Ness Ocala office.

According to county property records, the land was owned by Austin International Realty LLC, a Locust Valley, New York-based real estate firm owned by Bernadette Castro, heiress to the renowned furniture company started by the late Bernard Castro.

The site was assessed for tax purposes this year at $1.06 million, records indicate.

Roberts’ plans for the site were unclear on Monday.

Don DeLuca, vice president and general counsel of Roberts’ RLR Investments, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McDonald said the building was leased to another tenant after the Castro operation left, but that didn’t survive. The site has been vacant for about two years, he said.

The building sits on Northwest 80th Avenue between State Road 40 and U.S. 27, nearly six miles from Interstate 75.

“The property is large, relatively close to I-75 and already zoned for industrial use, so I’m hoping we’ll see it used for distribution and logistics,” McDonald said in an email. “It’s exciting to see who purchased it and I know this acquisition will be a good thing for our community. New jobs have a way of following Mr. Roberts’ real estate transactions.”

In October, Roberts purchased for an undisclosed price the 74,000-square-foot headquarters building of the Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Corp., which had been vacant for nearly three years after Taylor Bean founder Lee Farkas’ company collapsed in a criminal scandal.

Roberts, who lives just north of Ocala, purchased the site from 315 NE 14th Street Ocala LLC.

DeLuca said at the time that Roberts has not decided what to do with the building, but added that his trucking company would not be relocating to Ocala.

<p>Developer Larry Roberts has expanded his local holdings.</p><p>Roberts, developer of the Golden Ocala Country Club and owner of an Ohio-based interstate trucking company, has acquired the former Castro Convertible plant on Northwest 80th Avenue, according to the local office of Sperry Van Ness, a commercial Realtor.</p><p>The firm announced Monday that the 12-acre site contains a 131,342-square-foot building where the famous sofa-beds were once made locally.</p><p>Roberts bought the site for $610,000, according to Bartow McDonald, managing director of the Sperry Van Ness Ocala office.</p><p>According to county property records, the land was owned by Austin International Realty LLC, a Locust Valley, New York-based real estate firm owned by Bernadette Castro, heiress to the renowned furniture company started by the late Bernard Castro.</p><p>The site was assessed for tax purposes this year at $1.06 million, records indicate.</p><p>Roberts' plans for the site were unclear on Monday.</p><p>Don DeLuca, vice president and general counsel of Roberts' RLR Investments, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><p>McDonald said the building was leased to another tenant after the Castro operation left, but that didn't survive. The site has been vacant for about two years, he said.</p><p>The building sits on Northwest 80th Avenue between State Road 40 and U.S. 27, nearly six miles from Interstate 75.</p><p>“The property is large, relatively close to I-75 and already zoned for industrial use, so I'm hoping we'll see it used for distribution and logistics,” McDonald said in an email. “It's exciting to see who purchased it and I know this acquisition will be a good thing for our community. New jobs have a way of following Mr. Roberts' real estate transactions.”</p><p>In October, Roberts purchased for an undisclosed price the 74,000-square-foot headquarters building of the Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Corp., which had been vacant for nearly three years after Taylor Bean founder Lee Farkas' company collapsed in a criminal scandal.</p><p>Roberts, who lives just north of Ocala, purchased the site from 315 NE 14th Street Ocala LLC.</p><p>DeLuca said at the time that Roberts has not decided what to do with the building, but added that his trucking company would not be relocating to Ocala.</p><p><i>Contact Bill Thompson at 867-4117 or bill.thompson@starbanner.com.</i></p>